Stock Up, Stock Down for Oakland A's Top 10 Prospects for Week 12

Stock Up, Stock Down for Oakland A's Top 10 Prospects for Week 12

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Breaking news: Billy Burns is still very fast.Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Three months into the 2014 season, it's time once again to check in on the top 10 Oakland A's prospects.

As a refresher, here's how each player looked after one week. The format will stay the same here. I've provided their prior stock watch (up, down or even) and this week's. I've looked at both the last 10 games as well as the season as a whole to see how they're doing overall and how they have been doing lately.

There are a few things you might notice.

For one, the top 10 prospects are all here this time. In the last edition, Dillon Overton was still recovering from an injury, so 11th-ranked prospect Michael Ynoa replaced him. Ynoa is out; Overton is in.

Another noticeable trend is that nearly everyone's stock changed—all but two that is.

10. Nolan Sanburn

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Stock: UpLast: EvenTeam: Stockton Ports (Single-A)

If you were concerned about pitcher Nolan Sanburn's shoulder injury from a year ago, you can rest easy. So far in 2014, he's 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA in 40.2 innings as a reliever. Sanburn has walked 17 and struck out 42 batters.

Throw in three saves as well.

He's done well, but the fact that he's rebounded after an arm injury makes his production even more impressive. Sanburn has been lights-out in his last seven games, outside of one appearance in which he allowed three hits and two earned runs in one inning. However, on the season as a whole, his stock is currently up.

9. Billy Burns

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Speedy Billy Burns is still stealing tons of bases.USA TODAY Sports

Stock: EvenLast: UpTeam: Midland RockHounds (Double-A)

The fact that Billy Burns has 31 walks to 42 strikeouts and 36 total stolen bases is great. For that alone, his stock would be up.

But so far he's only knocked in 12 runs. And few of his 60 hits have been extra-base hits. In a bit of a slump, Burns is hitting .195 in his last 10 games, too. For those reasons, his stock may be looked at as down.

Hence, it evens itself out when looking at his entire season's worth of work.

Burns is currently hitting .246 with a .330 on-base percentage. There are certainly some ups and downs in his stat line, but in Double-A, for a top-10 prospect, you'd expect to see more ups. Burns is close to seeing his stock listed as down.

8. Dillon Overton

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Stock: UpLast: N/ACurrent Team: Arizona League Athletics (Rookie)

Pitcher Dillon Overton has a very small sample size so far in 2014. But in one three-inning appearance, he did more good than bad.

In his one start, Overton allowed one run off two hits. He struck out four and walked none.

The June 23 game was Overton's first start since Tommy John surgery in July 2013. Hence, he gets the "up" for pitching well after a long layoff and expected rust.

7. Bobby Wahl

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Stock: DownLast: EvenCurrent Team: Beloit Snappers (Class A)

Bobby Wahl has been the tale of two pitchers in 2014. Nearly every other start he rotates between a solid performance and a terrible one. His ERA sits at 6.30, however, which, even with all the quality starts, is not good—especially not by Single-A standards.

In fact, after starting in his first seven appearances, he was used in relief in the last three.

6. Renato Nunez

On the season, Renato Nunez is hitting .272 with 19 doubles, 12 home runs and 39 RBI. The third baseman has a .945 fielding percentage and six errors on 110 chances.

But in his last 10 games, he's been a stud at the plate.

Nunez is hitting .400 with an on-base percentage of .500 in that span. Of 14 hits, six are doubles and three are home runs. Nunez has 11 RBI in those 10 games. Nunez may arguably be one of the best-hitting prospects in the system in the last week.

5. Matt Olson

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Stock: UpLast: EvenTeam: Stockton Ports (Single-A)

What first baseman Matt Olson lacks in hitting for average (a .245 mark on the season), he certainly makes up for it in power. Olson has hit 19 home runs and knocked in 45 runs in 73 games. He hit 23 a season ago in 134 games. In 2014, he's on pace for 34 home runs in 134 games. Olson has also walked almost as often as he has struck out (64 to 66, respectively).

If that wasn't impressive enough, you should see what he's done in the last 10 days.

Olson owns a .313 average in that span, with four home runs, 11 RBI, 11 walks and six strikeouts. Forty percent of his hits have left the yard. Another 30 percent were doubles.

Olson's stock is soaring.

4. Raul Alcantara

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Stock: DownLast: UpTeam: Midland RockHounds (Double-A)

Raul Alcantara started incredibly strong this season, starting three games and winning two. His ERA for the year is 2.29. In those three appearances, he averaged over six innings pitched per game. Additionally, he had a 2.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

It's a significant enough injury that his stock will take a hit. But guys have shown an ability to fully recover from Tommy John, so his stock isn't dead in the water by any means.

3. Daniel Robertson

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Robertson during spring camp in 2014.Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Stock: UpLast: UpTeam: Stockton Ports (Single-A)

Daniel Robertson has fairly average to above-average stats in both a larger sample of the 2014 season and in his last 10 games.

He's hitting .289 in 71 games, with 85 hits, 16 doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBI. He has 38 walks to 51 strikeouts. In the last 10 games only, his batting average dropped a bit to .268. The production includes one home run, four RBI, six walks and six strikeouts.

Robertson's numbers are up this season compared to last.

In 30 less games, he has almost matched his career-high nine home runs. He is three walks away from tying his career high in that category as well.

2. Billy McKinney

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McKinney takes batting practice with the A's.Associated Press

Stock: EvenLast: EvenTeam: Stockton Ports (Single-A)

Perhaps Billy McKinney is still adjusting to baseball beyond rookie ball. Drafted out of high school in 2013, McKinney annihilated the Arizona League. Now in Stockton, he's hitting just .231.

But it's not all that bad.

The young man has nine doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 30 RBI. Those are fairly solid numbers. His stock is listed as even mostly because, as the No. 2 prospect in the system, you'd expect him to tear the minor leagues up.

He's young, though, so there is still plenty of time.

Just looking at his last 10 games, it seems like he's starting to come around. McKinney hit .268 with nine RBI in that span.

1. Addison Russell

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Addison Russell poses for spring-camp photos.USA TODAY Sports

Stock: EvenLast: UpTeam: Midland RockHounds (Double-A)

Addison Russell had a rough start to 2014.

First he went 5-for-7 in two games, then he landed on the disabled list. After returning and a total of five games with the Stockton Ports, his average sat at .188. He had one RBI at that point.

In six Double-A games, he's hit .292. However, take out the first two games before injury, and Russell is 2-for-17.

Russell is the No. 1 prospect, and he's expected to be the starting shortstop in Oakland in 2015. Therefore, he should be tearing through Double-A so rapidly that Triple-A is on the horizon. An injury stalled that progress. It would be unfair to say his stock is down, especially since—again, as the top prospect—no one (fans or management) is going to give up on him this quickly.